St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-06-02
ACCIDENT ON THE LAKE ROAD.
Freight Train Wrecked.-TwO Men
Killed and Another Seriously Hurt.

| Killed and Another Seriously Hurt.
| An accident on the Lake road near
Hardwick Friday afternoon resulted in
the death of HI. j. Tatro, fireman, OF
Swanton, and engineer u. G. Chappell,
also of SwantOn the serious injury OF
conductor Walter WilcOmb of st.
Johnsbury and the wreckage of the
way freight train east. The particu-
lars of the accident are as follows: A
heavy thunder shower that visited
that section Friday afternoon caused
an ordinarily small brook that runs
under the track about three-fourths OF
| a mile west of Hardwick to swell to
such dimensions as to undermine the
road bed at that point. The way
freight coming east reached the spot
about 3 o'clock. The engine Maquam
passed over in safety, but the tender
and five cars went down a distance of
10 feet dragging the engine back into
the break. The first car was loaded
with heavy lumber which slipped for
ward as the car went down striking
and carrying off the cab of the engine,
crushing TatrO against the boiler and
throwing Chappell to one side of the
engine and WilcOmb, who had but
just entered the cab, to the other. Ia
tro was killed instantly and was found
with his body terribly mangled and
his head crushed in against the fire.
box. He was young man and had
been in the employ of the road for a
number of years. He leaves wife
and infant child.
Engineer Chappell was horribly mu
tilated about the legs and received in
ternal injuries, and died at 10 o'clock
the:same evening. He was conscious
up to ORG o'clock and talked about
the accident, saying that he noticed
nothing irregular about the road bed
except that he saw some gravel which
he supposed had been left there by the
road men. He urged that his wife
might be brought, but prayed for
death to relieve his sufferings. A spe-
cial train from SwantOn took Mrs.
Chappell and also Alfred TatrO, father
of young Tatro and Mrs. WilcOmb to
the scene of the disaster, but Chappell
was dead before their arrival. He had
been engaged on the shifting engine at
Swanton until about two months ago
when he took charge of the way freight
engine. He leaves no children. Both
Chappell and Tatro had the confidence
of the managers of the road and had
many friends both among the railroad
men and the citizens of SwantOn.
Conductor Wilcomb received ter
rible wound on the inside of one leg IL
inches in length and reaching down
nearly to the knee. His left ankle was
also fractured. A special train was
sent from here at once with Drs.
Browne and CalderwOOd and railroad
officials, and Wilcomb was brought to
his fathers home in this place. 1t was
feared at first that his injuries might
prove fatal but he seems now in a fair
way of recovery. He has been in the
employ of the road long time and
was but recently married.
No possible blame attaches to any
who were on the train. 1t seems to
have been one of those accidents that
could not be averted. A train passed
over the same spot less than an hour
before. The threatening clouds of the
on coming storm were noted and COM
mented upon by the train men and
passengers. The rain fell shortly at
ter in torrents and worked the mis-
chief before any precautions could be
taken. The trains usually run little
faster at this point to prepare for the
heavy grade just ahead and such was
the case at this time. The cars and
engine were dumped into hole 10 or
Is feet deep and were badly wrecked.
Another account of WilcOmb's expe-
riences says that his feet were caught
between the engine and tender, the es-
Gaping steam pouring into his face and
the flying lumber falling upon him
from the rear. One of his legs was
broken and some sharp piece of iron
or wood slit the flesh open on the 9TH
er leg, diagOnally from the hip to the
knee, exposing the bone. WilcOmb
was released with difficulty and while
being attended by the doctors display
ed great GOODNESS and nerve, cOnvers-
ing freely with those about him. Will
comb says a few minutes before the
accident he did what he hardly ever
did before and that was, leave his end
of the train, crawl over the tender and
into engine. He is now suffering much
from the wounds caused by the steam
and he cannot be said to be wholly out
of danger.
i The remains of Engineer Chappel
Swanton, Saturday morning. The fu'
neral of young Tatro was largely at
tended at the Catholic church Sunday
and services were held over the re
mains of the dead engineer at the Meth
J odist church in the afternoon, Rev. Mr.
Sherburne preaching the sermon. The
attendance was very large, specia
train from st. JOhnsbury taking owe
about 80 employees of the road wh'
attended the funeral in a body.
A Big Hole Filled.
) Robert Caldwell of the firm of Cald
we'll & Varnum was here last week